Moby Dick Or The Whale

by Herman Melville

Overview

Moby-Dick; or, The Whale is an 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. The is based on the life experiences of Herman Melville, that he had while whaling. The book is largely based on his sea-life incidents. The story is about Captain Ahab who sets out in search of Moby Dick, a white whale which injured him on his earlier voyage, leaving him handicapped. Today it is considered a great American novel about American romanticism, and is a classic in American Literature. D. H. Lawrence called it "one of the strangest and most wonderful books in the world" and "the greatest book of the sea ever written".

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9788194615781
Publisher:	Delhi Open Books
Publication date:	05/22/2020
Pages:	764
Product dimensions:	5.06(w) x 7.81(h) x 1.68(d)

About the Author

Herman Melville (August 1, 1819 - September 28, 1891) was an American writer best known for the novel Moby-Dick. His first three books gained much contemporary attention (the first, Typee, became a bestseller), but after a fast-blooming literary success in the late 1840s, his popularity declined precipitously in the mid-1850s and never recovered during his lifetime.

When he died in 1891, he was almost completely forgotten. It was not until the "Melville Revival" in the early 20th century that his work won recognition, especially Moby-Dick, which was hailed as one of the literary masterpieces of both American and world literature. In 1919, the unfinished manuscript for his novella Billy Budd was discovered by his first biographer, Raymond M. Weaver, who published a version in 1924 which was acclaimed by notable British critics as another masterpiece of Melville's. He was the first writer to have his works collected and published by the Library of America.
Early life

Herman Melville was born in New York City on August 1, 1819, the third of eight children of Allan and Maria Gansevoort Melville. Herman's younger brother, Thomas Melville, eventually became a governor of Sailors Snug Harbor. Part of a well-established and colorful Boston family, Melville's father, Allan, spent a good deal of time abroad as a commission merchant and an importer of French dry goods. After her husband Allan died, between 1832 and 1834, Maria added an "e" to the family surname-seemingly at the behest of her son Gansevoort.

Early works and travel
Melville's roving disposition and a desire to support himself led him to seek work as a surveyor on the Erie Canal. This effort failed, and his older brother helped him get a job as a "boy" (a green hand) on a New York ship bound for Liverpool. He made the voyage and returned on the same ship. Redburn: His First Voyage (1849) is partly based on his experiences of this journey.

For three years after Albany Academy (1837 to 1840), Melville mostly taught school. From 1838 to 1847, he resided at what is now known as the Herman Melville House in Lansingburgh, New York. In late 1840, he decided to sign up for more work at sea.

Date of Birth:

August 1, 1819

Date of Death:

September 28, 1891

Place of Birth:

New York, New York

Place of Death:

New York, New York

Education:

Attended the Albany Academy in Albany, New York, until age 15